This invention relates to a flotation pad or mattress for use in incubators and on open warmers for prematurely born infants. More particularly, and in a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to a heat retentive, fluid-filled incubator mattress having a plurality of sealed transverse compartments.
Neonatal care has developed into a highly specialized medical field. In particular, prematurely born babies have unique problems and require almost constant attention from hospital personnel. Depending on the actual gestation period, premature infants may spend many days or weeks in the controlled environment of an incubator. Despite this protective environment, the infant may be subject to certain physical discomforts caused simply by the tender, sensitive nature of its body. For example, a premature infant's head is relativley soft and pliable, and may conform to the shape of a flat, rigid mattress. Additionally, a premature infant's head is over sized relative to the rest of its body, and breathing difficulties may be encountered when the infant is positioned on its back because its chin tends to roll forward toward the chest, closing the windpipe. Excoriation of the limbs, particularly the knees and toes, is not uncommon because of the extreme softness of the baby's skin.
In addition to the aforementioned problems relating to neonatal care, maintenance of incubator temperature is of course quite critical. Therefore, failsafe electrical controls are important, and the incubator must be opened only as necessary for care and feeding. Nonetheless, it is virtually impossible to eliminate inflow of relatively cold air when the unit is opened.
The incubator flotation pad and pad support of the invention are designed to provide a safer and more stable incubator environment for prematurely born infants. The pad consists of a water impermeable, flexible bladder having at least four sealed transverse sections. Each section is fluid filled, preferably with a semi-viscous fluid having a high heat capacity. In a preferred embodiment, the transverse sections overlap each other longitudinally, to maintain a relatively uniform pad thickness when one end of the pad is elevated. In another aspect of the invention, the center sections of the pad are filled to a greater thickness than the end portions; the center sections support the infant's torso, whereas the end sections accommodate the baby's oversized head.
The inventor is not aware of any fluid-filled pads designed specifically for neonatal use. However, pads, mattresses, and other furniture containing water or other more viscous fluids have been known for many years. In the prior art, a number of patents have disclosed the desirability of a therapeutic fluid-filled mattress for the treatment of decubitus ulcers. In general, these patents disclose mattresses or bladders which are filled with a jelly or highly viscous fluid; examples of these patents are Graves, U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,948, McGrew, U.S. Pat. No. 3,810,265, Trenchard, U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,232, and Graves, U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,379. These patents are not specifically directed to problems related with neonatal care, nor do they disclose the particular features of the invention.
The particularly preferred fluid material of the invention is a mixture of starch, borax, and water commonly marketed as a gel refrigerant under the tradename "Blue Ice". The compositions, methods of manufacture, and common methods of packaging of this material are disclosed in a series of patents U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,454, U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,455, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,115, all issued to J. C. Shepherd. While these materials are known refrigerants, it has been found that they are also of suitable viscosity at the incubator temperature of 98.degree. F., and also have a high heat capacity, i.e., excellent heat retentive properties, thereby tending to compensate and dampen any temperature fluctuations which may occur within the incubator unit.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a flotation pad for a neonate which will conform to the shape of the infant's body, and which will be sufficiently soft to minimize abrasion of the infant's skin. It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an incubator flotation pad which is shaped to accommodate the large head size of a premature infant. It is still another object of the invention to provide a flotation pad having a plurality of sections to minimize accumulation of fluid at one end of the pad when the pad is elevated. Another object of the invention is to provide a fluid-filled pad having heat retentive qualities to minimize variations of the incubator temperature. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof.